


M.I.A. Roulette

by God_of_Insanity



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), The X-Files
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Friendship/Love, Gen, Het, M/M, Male Slash, Mild Language, Multiple Fandoms, No Sex, One-Shots, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Fandoms to Be Added - Freeform, Some Humor, Spoilers, Tags May Change, Yaoi, You Have Been Warned, Zer0 is he/him in this story, m/m - Freeform, some violence/death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 16:40:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12988146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/God_of_Insanity/pseuds/God_of_Insanity
Summary: A series of angsty one-shots featuring different fandoms about pinning lovers or friends missing their loved ones.1.) Borderlands (Mordecai/Zer0)2.) The X-Files (Mulder/Scully)3.) House MD (Platonic House/Wilson)-To Be Added





	1. Mind Echoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While out in the Arid Badlands killing time, but mostly killing bandits, Mordecai broods over his wandering, M.I.A. lover.

Out in the _Arid Badlands_ , Mordecai carefully took aim of his next target, patiently waiting until the shot was lined up perfectly before he gingerly squeezed the trigger. The shot seemed to explode, which resulted in a loud echo that seemingly rang in all directions. Before the target could blink an eye or scratch his dusty, ripe bandit ass, the bullet had already smashed itself into his skull, instantly killing him. Through the scope, Mordecai watched as the dead bandit crumpled face first into the dust. The death of the bandit didn’t really do anything to ease him or even make him feel much at all besides the anger and rejection he felt. He’d originally come out here to let off some steam and to get away from the people of _New Haven_. So far, it wasn’t doing jack shit to improve his shitty mood at all.

Above the bandit’s camp, he spotted the juvenile Talon, already larger in size than Bloodwing had ever been, eagerly circling above for his next target. That bird was pretty much his only constant companion now and the only one, besides the assassin, that he could tolerate having around for long periods of time. As much as he liked Lilith, Brick, and some of the vault hunters, he could only tolerate them in small doses, and only when he was in the mood to.

Sighing quietly, he shut his eyes and barely heard the sound of Talon screeching as he made his own successful kill of some unlucky bandit, probably a psycho. The wind now carried the rank smell of the bandits and dead bandits, a lot of them smelling like stale moonshine, which reminded him of what lay on the floor of the Outrunner as if it’d been forgotten when in fact, he was constantly aware of the temptation. After Bloodwing’s death, booze had been his _only_ friend until…Zer0 had lent him his shoulder, so to speak. Out of everyone that had tried to help him, he hadn’t expected the assassin to step up, to care. Lilith and Brick, yeah, he’d pretty much expected them to linger around and keep an eye on him. They were respectful enough to keep their distance and to not push too much, but their company wasn’t what he sought.

Why he’d allowed Zer0 to be the one he turned to, he didn’t know. Perhaps it had been his calm demeanor, or the fact that the assassin didn’t seem like the judgmental type. The man had _four_ fingers, wielded a sword, wore a black body suit, and a helmet that shielded his face from view and still, Mordecai couldn’t help feeling eased by him. He didn’t even know what the assassin was. He’d seen him bleed and _come_ , so obviously he was something organic, probably an alien from some distant planet he’d never heard of. But really, the sniper didn’t give two fucks about what his lover was. All he cared about was the fact that the assassin had a dick and gave a damn about him. Both were things Mordecai knew Zer0 had, but now…now he wasn’t so certain about the latter. Or really, that was just his spiteful bitterness talking again.

Hearing Talon’s cry again, he watched the bird suddenly dive down sharply in the air and was suddenly reminded of just _who_ it was that had given him the egg that had ultimately hatched Talon.

 _Zer0_.

The assassin had relentlessly searched far and wide until he’d found the egg and brought it back to Mordecai as a gift. Where he found it, if he even had found it on Pandora, the sniper had never thought to ask. It had been such a thoughtful, unexpected gift that Mordecai had _teared_ up on the spot right as he dropped his half-empty bottle of alcohol and luckily no one else had been around to witness the event. It had been the kindest thing anyone had ever done for him in his entire lifetime. After receiving Talon, he had abandoned his crutch in order to hatch and care for baby Talon. Although his raw grief still loomed inside of him, it was mostly forgotten in favor of focusing most of his attention on caring for the baby bird.

While losing Roland hadn’t been easy for him, either, Bloodwing…well, that bird had been his best friend and to some extent, like his own child. Moxxi had never understood that even though she was a mother herself, but really, it was her loss. Mordecai never regretted choosing his bird over that damned woman, anyway. Bloodwing had always had his back no matter what and had supported him in ways he’d never known before until he met the assassin. Sure, Roland, Lilith, and Brick had had his back at times, but not like Bloodwing. And certainly not like Zer0.

He missed that bloody bird so much that sometimes he couldn’t help crying when he thought about her. Having Talon helped ease the pain, yeah, but it didn’t erase it and he knew Talon could and would _never_ replace Bloodwing. It wasn’t even about that.

Right now, he was more concerned about losing Zer0. In his heart of hearts, he really did fear losing the assassin more than anything else. He’d lost Roland _and_ Bloodwing, and now…he might just lose Zer0, too. It seemed he was great at losing people, be it death or the fact that he somehow always drove them away. He could count the number of successful relationships on no hands, after all.

His throat felt tight and dry as he watched Talon continuing to pick off the screaming and shooting bandits. Aiming again, he shot a Bruiser attempting to shoot down _his_ adolescent bird _. Fuck that asshole. And fuck that one, yeah. Fuck them all._

Mordecai continued to shoot until he had to reload his rifle and by then, all of the bandits were lying dead in their blood splattered, burning camp. Talon continued to soar high above, circling around as if double-checking that their enemies were all dead.

Now that he had nothing to kill, nothing to remotely distract him, the hunter felt tempted to rummage through his vehicle for his booze, but his ass felt glued in the gunner’s seat, so he didn’t bother moving. What was the point, anyway? That shit never made him feel better. It always made him feel worse, actually. So why had he done it so many times before? Because it had been the only way he’d known how to cope with his problems.

The real reason why he was out here, he didn’t want to dare think about, but he didn’t have much choice, really. Zer0 was gone _again_ , without a word… _again_ , and had been gone for **weeks**. Mordecai had tried to reach him on his Echo communicator, but to no avail. The assassin was either unavailable, or he was just flat out ignoring him. Whatever the case, it still hurt like hell and the sad thing was, this wasn’t the first time Zer0 had done this to him.

At first, when Brick and Lilith had found out about Mordecai’s relationship with the mysterious vault hunter, they’d both relentlessly teased him, as was their nature. But over time, they’d come to notice when Mordecai was upset about Zer0 and when he was, they left him alone. Especially Lilith, since, well, she understood him to some extent since she’d lost Roland in more than one way. Even before his death, her relationship with Roland had soured until neither could really stand the other, although it was still painfully obvious to everyone around them that that the soldier and the siren loved one another despite that. Mordecai feared the same thing would happen to him and Zer0 sooner or later.

He feared it because this was the first time he had ever felt so deeply about someone that wasn’t his deceased bird. Moxxi and the others, well, what he’d had with them, it hadn’t been at all serious. Not serious enough to make him wander out to the _Arid Badlands_ to shoot bandits for fun or feel tempted to drink himself into a drunken ass stupor. Every time he thought about picking up one of the bottles by the neck and gulping the contents, he thought about the assassin. Although Zer0 wasn’t against a man having a couple of drinks, Mordecai knew that he disapproved because it affected his overall health. Like anyone else with a vice, the hunter tended to neglect himself when it came to getting proper sleep, food, and water. It was probably why Mordecai was so scrawny, after all.

Despite himself, Mordecai couldn’t help smiling a bit as he remembered how much Zer0 tended to _mother_ him by reminding him to eat or even to drink water every so often. If it had been anyone else doing that, he would have told them to fuck off. Zer0 checking on his wellbeing was far from annoying, though. It was… _nice_. It was nice to have someone care so much to actually step out of their way to ensure he was doing the right things for himself. Not even his parents had been this way when he’d been growing up. For as long as he could remember, Mordecai had always been on his own since his deadbeat _sperm donor_ had run out on them and his mother had worked several jobs just to support them. No one had truly cared before…so now, just thinking about the very real possibility that Zer0 might be gone for good, shook him to his very core.

Mordecai growled under his breath when he felt the unshed tears welling up in his normally dry eyes. Ripping the goggles off from his face and letting them drop down around his neck, he wiped at his eyes furiously until they were red and irritated. The arid wind further aggravated them, but he didn’t care. He was being stupid now, he knew, but the hunter really couldn’t help it. As calm, patient, and collected as he normally was for the most part, sometimes he lost himself in the heat of the moment. He could get really pissed off and take it out on others, he knew. When he did get upset, he tended to leave before he said or did something he couldn’t take back.

After all, Mordecai was still human. Even he made mistakes and forgot himself at times, especially on this shitty excuse for a planet. He had his vices, his faults, but he still didn’t make excuses for them like everyone else tended to do.

“ _Why are you upset/You should put your goggles on/Don’t make me spank you_ ,” suddenly came Zer0’s teasing, yet concerned low voice from out of nowhere. Whipping his head around, Mordecai noticed the assassin crouched on the runner behind him.

“Just where the hell have you been?!” Growled Mordecai angrily even as immense relief surged through him like electricity. He’d wanted to jump the assassin, cling to him like a tick, and never let go, but he kept his skinny ass glued to the Outrunner out of sheer stubbornness and insecurity. Even now, he felt his lanky body beginning to tremble, which he tried hard to control, but of course, Zer0, as observant as he was, would probably notice it anyway.

Although a red exclamation mark appeared on the dark, faceless screen of his face plate, Zer0 still calmly said, “ _That’s not important/You’re clearly upset right now/Tell me, Mordecai_.”

Before Mordecai could respond to that, Talon screeched loudly, yet joyfully in greeting as he swooped down excitedly until he landed a bit clumsily on Zer0’s outstretched arm. As deadly claws gripped the assassin’s protected, padded arm, the bird chirped happily when the man began stroking him under the chin like he was a domesticated cat. Next to Mordecai, Zer0 was Talon’s favorite person. He didn’t seem to care for Lilith, Brick, or any of the other vault hunters, but that was probably because none of them seemed to have the sort of placidity and patience that the assassin naturally carried. Not to mention, there was also the numerous scars a lot of them now bore thanks to Talon’s wrath.

“That’s right, Talon, _mamá_ is home,” commented the hunter in amusement and with some fondness; his anger and woes temporarily forgotten as he watched his bird and lover interact amicably like they always did whether he was around or not to witness it.

Unlike many men, Zer0 didn’t take offense to being referred to as a mom. His face plate instantly displayed the “ _:)_ ” emoticon as a reaction to the hunter’s words. And when he turned his head to look at Mordecai, the symbol changed to the “ _< 3_” heart emoticon.

“Yeah, yeah, ninja man…me, too,” sighed Mordecai as he scratched the back of his head, his chest feeling tight and giddy in the way only Zer0 could inspire in him. The wind suddenly changed course, blowing hard in his face and making him squint to avoid his corneas getting scratched by grit.

Tossing Talon gently up into the air, the assassin suddenly vanished and appeared in front of Mordecai, kneeling gracefully despite how awkward or uncomfortable the position appeared to be for him. With his knees and arms bent like they were, it made him appear more like a spider, too. He gingerly took up the hunter’s googles from around his neck and placed them over Mordecai’s eyes until they were once more protected from the sun, sand, and wind. “ _Take care of your eyes/I don’t want you to lose them/They are beautiful_.”

‘ _I’d rather lose them than you_.’ Thought Mordecai as his rough, tanned skin flushed at the heartfelt compliment that he knew Zer0 genuinely meant. He didn’t particularly think much about his own eyes, or even his own appearance, but the hunter seemed to think the world of him regardless of the opinions of others. As a sniper, someone who relied heavily on having great vision, it meant a lot if Mordecai was willing to sacrifice his eyes for another person. Especially for someone he wasn’t sure even had eyes.

“Where have you been?” Finally asked the hunter after he sighed heavily. He couldn’t help wondering what the actual expression on Zero’s face looked like right now, well, that’s _if_ he even had a face that expressed emotions. Crossing his arms, the hunter asked another question, “Why haven’t you been responding to my Echo communicator?”

A “ _:(_ “ sad face appeared on Zero’s face plate next as he explained, “ _I have been around/Mine was damaged in action/I couldn’t reach you_.”

“We need to talk,” wearily sighed the hunter. He personally hated talking, especially about _personal_ things, but he knew if he kept it all bottled inside for too long, he would end up hurting Zer0. He had a feeling the assassin was like him in that regard, _well_ , when it came to talking about personal matters. It suddenly occurred to him that Zer0 probably didn’t even know he had done anything to hurt Mordecai in the first place. It was possible that the assassin didn’t know disappearing for extended periods of time without alerting anyone wasn’t right. He was an assassin, after all, and for a long time, he had been a wanted man for assassinating some important old fart.

His face plate blank now, Zer0 nodded his head and said simply, “ _I know_.”

“All right, then let’s go talk somewhere safer, _mi amor_ ,” said Mordecai as he jumped into the front seat of his runner. He watched as Zer0 gracefully slipped into the gunner’s seat, which made him smile since the nimble assassin never ceased to amaze him, even when it came to the simplest of things. Glancing upwards, he spotted Talon soaring above them as he started the vehicle and began to drive away back towards _New Haven_.

Despite everything he’d been thinking and feeling earlier, Mordecai now felt like everything was going to be okay, one way or another, because…well, Zer0 always made him feel that way whenever he was around.

Love was a cruel bitch, one he felt tempted to dump sometimes, but the hunter knew that no matter what, he’d always be willing to trade his sharp eyes for it.


	2. Touchstone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mulder is missing again, which prompts Scully to dwell over those that she has lost and those that will always be irrevocably lost to her.

Like a hundred or so mornings before Mulder's abrupt disappearance, Dana Scully rose up in the morning to complete her daily routine. She felt numb as she did the things she'd done thousands of times before, her body operating on autopilot since her exhausted and distracted brain was currently occupied elsewhere. Her cup of coffee with cream and no sugar, and her bagel with light cream cheese was mostly untouched as she stared out her window. 

She  _needed_  to work, had wanted to work, but Skinner had temporarily relieved her of duty against her will anyway, especially after her recent close call a few weeks ago. Despite her unwillingness to take paid leave, she knew he meant the best for her despite that. She knew that her ability to work as an agent wasn't in question. Skinner knew more than most people of what she was fully capable of and he knew she could handle herself and in some ways, she handled herself better than most of the other agents. She'd proven herself countless times before, with and without Mulder at her side; however, she suspected Skinner felt uneasy having her out in the field by herself or even with a newly assigned partner. Both Dogget and Reyes had proven themselves to her and Skinner during Mulder's first disappearance, but unfortunately, both agents were unavailable due to undisclosed reasons Scully didn't currently know. 

Like Scully, yet not as deeply, Skinner was also hit hard by Mulder's disappearance. They'd both been through this ordeal before, yet...something felt different about it, though she didn’t know what it was. Scully feared that Mulder wouldn't be found this time. She had feared that last time, too, but this time, she was older and less hopeful. The redhead would never give up hope when it came to certain things, yet her youthful naiveté was long gone. She was older now. She knew better, and in some ways, that made her feel bitter. But how could she help it? She’d lost so much and just when she felt she couldn’t lose anything else, she would inevitably lose something more.

Staring out the window of her house, Scully watched a family walking on the sidewalk. Two little girls and a mother and father, each parent flanking the children protectively. It made her remember her deceased sister, Melissa, and her parents, also taken by death. Then there was little Emily, also cruelly taken from death at such a young age. In the little time Scully had known the little girl, she’d grown hopelessly attached. As strong and assertive as she was, there was also a softness and vulnerability to Scully that most people didn’t ever get to witness. It was a side of her that she’d learned not to be afraid to show Mulder. He’d never judged her for it and for that, she’d been both relieved and grateful. Despite how many times they’d bumped heads over cases and other matters, he had always been there for her and he’d always listened to her. She wasn’t just some pretty woman to him, she knew. Unlike most of the people, especially the Bureau, she didn’t have to constantly prove herself to Mulder. He’d quickly come to see her as his equal, as his partner, in very much the same way she’d come to view him. After everything they’d seen and been through, he was the one person she knew she could trust in the entire world.

Mulder was Scully’s touchstone.

And now Mulder was missing, _again_ , and she didn’t have her mother to run to for comfort. She didn’t have Melissa, either, or her father. The only remnants of her family that remained were her two brothers, Bill Jr. and Charlie. She only saw Bill on holidays, with the occasional phone call here and there when time permitted it. She didn’t hold it against him, though. He had his own life to live that consisted of a wife and children. Charlie did, too, but his situation was largely different. Although he was _still_ estranged from the family, for reasons he would never, or could never tell her, he usually only visited or called when there was a tragedy, like their father’s funeral or when their mother was on her deathbed. For the longest time, she couldn’t help feeling bitter resentment that Charlie would continue to strain the family, especially after everything the Scullys had been through over the years. Try as she might, she couldn’t figure out why. Yes, her brother was stubborn, incredibly stubborn. They all were stubborn because they were of the Scully line. Perhaps like Dana, Charlie was a bit too much like his hard-headed, stalwart father.

Yet despite it all, she still missed Charlie, but not as much as she missed Melissa, or her parents. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were dead and gone, though. In a way, Charlie was dead, too. She hadn’t seen him for years now and his face was muddled in her memory. Sometimes if she had the strength and will, she forced herself to find the most recent picture of just him just so she would see his face again.

Glancing at her mantle, she remembered the framed photograph of her family all together posing for a Christmas shot in front of roaring fire and magnificent Christmas tree. Picking up the picture, one she’d stared at countless times before, she studied it, her pale eyes raking over each smiling, proud Scully face until her vision blurred from unshed tears. Placing the framed photograph back down gently on the mantle, she moved back to the window to see nothing but leaves being scattered by the autumn wind. A part of her was relieved, yet disheartened to see the family was now gone from view.

There was another picture, one wrinkled from the countless times she’s pulled it out and cradled it in her hands. It was a picture ingrained in her memory, one she refused to allow to diminish no matter how much it hurt her to look at it.

William. Her baby, William. _Their_ baby.

Scully often wondered if Mulder missed their son as much as she did. A part of her suspected that he did. He had to. He was Mulder, after all. One of the best things about Mulder was his kindness, his gentle soul. When others saw a monster, Mulder always saw something more, something brimming with life and spirit. When other people’s first reaction was to shoot, Mulder’s was to _question_. Although most people believed Mulder was driven by the need to know the truth, Scully knew better. While it was true that he desperately wanted, no, _needed_ to know the truth, it wasn’t what truly drove him. What drove Mulder’s need for the truth wasn’t truth itself, it was _love_. Love for his missing sister, his dead parents, his dead friends, and for all the others he’d come to regard as friends or family. It was the very same thing that had kept him at Scully’s hospital bed instead of out waiting for his cold, empty revenge.

An hour later, Scully found herself in Mulder’s apartment, feeding his fish like she did every day. Although the apartment breathed of Mulder, from his messy stash of pornography and Redskins VHS tapes, his fish tank, his bag of half-eaten sunflower seeds, his sofa, and the taped “X” on the window, his scent was hauntingly absent. After months of being absent, the place no longer smelled like him.

Sometimes when she was feeling particular lonely, especially from missing Mulder, she sat in his apartment listening to recordings of his voice. The recording of Mulder’s hypnotic regression session with the hypnotherapist was pretty much memorized word for word in her brain. Every time she listened to it, those four words at the end of that tape always echoed in her head for hours and for whatever reason, it seemed to rekindle hope in her as she held the little gold cross in her hand.

 _I want to believe_.

Scully watched the goldfish swimming excitedly as they gobbled up the fish flakes happily. Every time she neared the tank, the fish always responded to her since they knew her face by now. She couldn’t help wondering if they had already forgotten Mulder’s face by now. Even though they were just fish with limited memory, the thought made her feel sad because…well, how could anyone or anything forget _Mulder_?

As if sensing what she had been thinking about, her cell phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket, which successfully distracted her from her glum thoughts. Every time her phone rang or she received a text notification, she always answered it even when she was driving or sleeping. Although the hope became frailer with each call or message that wasn’t from Mulder, she never let go of that single burning candle of hope. If he was out there somewhere, he would somehow contact her and she would see him again.

Mulder would find a way, she was sure of it.

That hope was soon rewarded when she opened the text message:

Sender: Unknown

9/12/17

_Spooky here. Sorry about being MIA for so long but I have so much to tell you._

_I found William._

9:45 AM

Reading the text message, Scully’s strong, yet feminine hands began to shake uncontrollably as her chest tightened from bottled up emotion after the shock had finally worn off. Although relief was the first feeling to rush through her slender being, it was quickly followed by rampant anger and curiosity. He’d found William? How and why? Where had Mulder been for over three months? Better yet, why had she been kept in the dark for so long? Did Mulder no longer trust her like he used to?

This and so many other questions flooded her frazzled mind as she moved to hastily leave Mulder’s apartment. As she walked briskly towards her car, it suddenly dawned on her that after several months of looking for Mulder, she would finally, _finally_ see him, and possibly see **William** again.

She didn’t know what she wanted to do more, to punch or to kiss Mulder.

Perhaps when she saw him again, she’d do both.

 


End file.
